Swing indicator for a golf club



7, 1957 c. CHEDISTER ET AL 2,804,305

SWING INDICATOR FOR A GOLF CLUB Filed Jan. 26, 1956' 74 V V\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ l7 INVENTORS Conkling Ghedisier Albert A. Ruocco 7% W M PM p & JATTORNEYS United States Patent @fhce 2,804,396 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 SWING mnrcaron son A GOLF CLUB Conlding Chedister and Albert A. Ruocco, Livingston, N. .i.

Application January 26, 1956, Serial No. 561,398

Claims. Cl. 273-486) The present invention relates to a novel and improved means for indicating the path through which a golf club is swung in play or practice.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and showing the indicator attached to a conventional golf club;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and looking substantially from the line 2-2; and

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view looking from the line 3-3 on Figure 1.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel and improved swing indicator for a golf club, especially adapted to be used during practice swings so as to indicate with a high degree of accuracy the path of the head of the club as it passes close to the ball or other practice object. A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved indicator which may be readily attached to and removed from a conventional golf club and which is adapted to emit a narrow stream of a marking substance as the club is swung in a forward direction, While preventing loss of the marking material when the club is swung in the reverse direction. Still another object is the provision of a golf club swing indicator which requires no special attention on the part of the user, is simple, economical to manufacture and does not interfere in any way with the players normal use of one or more of his favorite golf clubs.

According to the present invention, there is provided an indicator mechanism which is adapted to project a fine stream of a marking substance along the path of swing of the golf club as the club is accelerated in its forward swing and is adapted to discontinue the emission of the marking substance as the club is decelerated or is swung in the reverse direction, thereby conserving the substance continued in the indicator mechanism and enabling the player to use it for a longer period without replenishing the marking substance. The mechanism comprises a container for the marking sub stance, which is provided with a removable cover to confine the marking substance, such as powder, within the container, the container being provided with a fine and relatively long outlet hole near the outer end of the club through which powder or other marking substance indicator may issue either by gravity or centrifugal force as the club is swung in practice or in play. Means are provided on the container for detachably connecting the container to the shaft of the golf club, preferably near the shank and just above the head of the club so that the outlet of the container comes to be closely adjacent the ground as the club is swung.

The outlet of the container is preferably normally closed and remains closed at all times except when the club is rapidly swung in a forward direction and with an accelerating speed. For this purpose there is provided, preferably within the container, a valve member adapted to close the inner end of the outlet hole through which the marking material may flow. This valve member is formed as a part of a lever member which is pivotally mounted within the container and is provided on its upper end with a mass normally resting against the forward side of the container and adapted to be moved towards the following side of the container as the club is forwardly swung. The forward club-swinging, due to the inertia of the mass, causes the valve member to be opened so that the marking material issues from the outlet under influence of gravity and centrifugal force. As the swing is completed, the club is 'decelerated and this deceleration causes the mass to move the valve member to closed position, again due to the inertia of the mass. While many different kinds of solid or liquid marking materials may be employed, a finely divided or powdered, free-flowing material such as talc, starch, whiting or the like is preferred, and the marking material may be of any desired color, but is preferably of a light color so as to contrast With the normal color of the grass where practice is usually held.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred and illustrative embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawing, the indicator mechanism It) is shown as mounted on and secured to a conventional golf club having a shaft 12 and a striking head 14, the indicator mechanism normally being mounted substantially adjacent the shank of the club shaft. The indicator mechanism comprises a relatively long and narrow, hollow container 16, which may be cylindrical and is preferably not greatly larger in diameter than the diameter of the club shaft 12. At its upper end, the container is provided with an easily removable closure member 18 which is firmly secured to the upper end of the container, as by being screw-threaded thereto. For convenience, the upper portion of the closure 18 may be provided with a plurality of radially extending Wings 21 to increase the fingergrip thereon.

The lower end of the container 16 is preferably permanently closed by means of a cap member 22 which is provided with a relatively fine and long aperture forming a discharge outlet 24 through which the marking material contained within the cylindrical member 16 may be discharged. The upper end of the outlet 24 is normally closed by means of a valve member 26 which is preferably a small resilient pad, such as soft rubber, only slightly larger than the upper end of the outlet 24.

Means are provided for normally closing the valve member 26 and for opening the valve member as the club is swung in a' forward direction, and these means comprise a relatively narrow and thin flat strip of stiff metal bent to form a bell crank 28, the lower short end of which forms a mounting member for the valve closure member 26 and to the under side of which the valve member 26 is cemented or otherwise firmly secured. The major portion of the bell crank 28 extends upwardly Within the hollow interior of the cylindrical member 16 and at its upper end is provided with a mass 30 permanently secured to the upper end of the bell crank 28. The mass 30 is normally adjacent the forward side of the container 16, that is, against the same side as the striking face of the club head 14. The bell crank 28 is pivotally mounted to move the valve member 26 to open and closed position by means of a pivot, in the form of a short wire shaft 32 permanently secured to the bell crank near its bend and seated in suitable bearing recesses formed in the walls of the cap 22, thereby limiting the bell crank 28 to pivotal motion about the axis of shaft 32. Opening movement of the bell crank is limited by the rear wall of the container 16 so that only a small opening of the valve member 26 is allowed.

The container 16 and the top and bottom closure members 18 and 22 are preferably formed of transparent plastic material, such as cellulose acetate, polystyrene or other relatively strong and transparent, durable material, so that the user may readily observe the quantity of powder or other marking material which remains within the container.

Means are provided for mounting the indicator on the shaft of the golf club, and as embodied these means comprise a pair of resilient clamping jaws which are adapted to engage the shank of the golf club shaft and are permanently attached to the container 16, and are easily attached to and disengaged from the golf club shaft, at the same time holding the container in a trailing position with respect to the golf club is swung. The clamping jaws preferably comprise a pair of relatively stiff metallic plates 36 and 33 which may extend substantially along the shaft 12 and are provided on the adjacent faces with suitable friction material such as the longitudinally grooved pads 40 formed of soft rubber, dense felt or other suitable friction material. The jaw members 36 and 38 are held together and into tight engaging relation with respect to the shaft 12 by means of a knurled finger nut 44 threaded onto the end of a screw member 46 mounted in plate 36 and projecting loosely through a hole in plate 38. A helical spring 48 coiled about the screw member 46 serves to press the plates 36 and 38 apart at the screw and to allow the nut 44 to force them snugly against the shaft 12, so that the entire indicator mechanism may be snapped on and readily removed from the shaft of the golf club once the proper compression has been established on the spring 48.

The indicator mechanism is firmly and permanently mounted on the clamping jaw 36, and in the illustrative embodiment, the jaw 36 extends to form a cylindrically concave portion which is snugly fitted to the exterior of the cylindrical container 16 and cemented thereto.

The mounting means, as illustrated, are preferably so proportioned that the outlet 24 of the indicating mechanism lies just behind the rear of the head 14 of the golf club, and the frictional engagement between the pads 40 and the shaft 12 is such that the container 16 and its outlet 24 tend to lie in the path of swing of the golf club just behind the head '14, and if accidentally displaced from that position, they tend to be displaced by inertia so as to assume the proper tracking position with respect to the head of the club.

In the use of the indicating mechanism of the present invention, and with the indicating mechanism attached to the golf club in the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, the golf club is swung in the usual manner by the player with the container 16 at least partially filled with a marking substance, such as a white or light colored powder. As the club is raised so that the swing may be begun, the outlet 24 is closed and the mass 30 lies in the position shown. As the club is swung downwardly at an accelerating rate, mass 30 moves rearwardly of the swing (to the right in Figure l), lifting the valve member 26 from the upper end of the outlet 24, and at the same time stirring the powder within the container 16 due to the movement of the bell crank within the mass of powder. Powder issues from the lower end of the outlet 24 and is forcefully projected onto the ground so as to trace the path of swing of the club for observa tion by the player after the swing has been completed. As the club head passes the point at which the ball should have been hit, the player tends to reduce the speed of the golf club head 14, and this deceleration applies a powerful decelerating force on the mass 30 so that the valve member 26 is once again firmly seated on the upper end of the outlet 24 thereby minimizing the discharge of powder through the outlet 24.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. Indicating mechanism for tracing the path in which a golf club is swung and adapted to be mounted on the shaft of a golf club near its head, comprising an elongated container to receive a marking substance therein and having a fine outlet near its outer end, a valve member normally closing said outlet, inertia means for opening said valve member as the club is swung in one direction, and means for mounting said container on the shaft of a golf club.

2. Indicating mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which the container is detachably connected to the golf club shaft by resiliently mounted jaws and lies substantially parallel to the shaft.

3. Indicating mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which the inertia means comprises a pivoted bell crank on which the valve member is mounted at one end thereof, and an inertia mass is at the other end thereof, the pivot being within the container at the outer end thereof.

4. Indicating mechanism as claimed in claim 3 in which the bell crank is mounted within the container and agitates the marking substance within the container on each actuation of the bell crank.

5. Indicating mechanism for tracing the path in which a golf club is swung, comprising a container to receive a marking substance therein, an outlet at the outer end of said container, means for normally closing said outlet, means for opening the outlet as the club and indicating mechanism are swung in one direction, and mounting means carried by said container for mounting same on the shaft of a golf club adjacent the head thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,651,264 Fish Nov. 29, 1927 2,543,722 Hetzel Feb. 27, 1951 2,747,878 Paton May 29, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 233,529 Great Britain May 14, 1925 

